Double lock for handbags



Dec. 24, 1957 D- DAMAST DOUBLE LOCK FOR HANDBAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1956 INVENTOR. LDHMHST Dec. 24, 1957 D DAMAST DOUBLE LOCK FOR HANDBAGS Filed Sept. 13, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. Damns'r BY United States Patent 6 DOUBLE LOCK FOR HANDBAGS David Damast, Riverdale, N. Y. Application September 13, 1956, Serial No. 609,734 9 Claims. (Cl.,15 0--7).

This invention relates to ladies? handbags or purses in general, and more particularly has reference to a handbag having separate compartments respectivelyclosed by superposed flaps, the handbag being equipped with a novelly designed double-locking clasp adapted to hold both .flaps in closed positions, and further adapted for permitting access .to atleast one of the; compartments without opening the other.

The desirability of a handbag designed asindicated above is well appreciated in the art to which the invention relates. Most usually, handbags having separate compartments are provided with only one cover flap. for said compartments, as a result of which both compartments are fully exposed whenever the flap is raised. In this connection,.one may not desireto expose to View the articles contained in one of the compartments. Alter natively, opening both compartments when access is desired only to a particular one of them may tend to cause or promote loss of articles therefrom.

The main object of the present invention, accordingly, is to provide a handbag as briefly described above, which will not have the deficiencies noted in connection with previously designed handbags of the two-compartment type.

A more specific object is to provide a novel double clasp, particularly designed to achieve the desirable results indicated above.

A further object is to so form the clasp that it will be attractive in appearance, while still being adapted for eflicient operation for its intended purposes. 7

Yet another object of importance is to providea double-locking clasp in association with a two-compartment handbag having superposed flaps, which clasps will be easily operated to locking and unlocking positions as regards one or both of the flaps.

Yet another object is to form the double-locking clasp in a manner such as to permit its manufacture at low cost, thus to justify its commercial production.

In a. second form of the invention, it is proposed to so design theclasp that access to either compartment can behad without unlocking the flap associated with the other compartment.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and tothe appendedclairns in whichthe various novel features of the invention are-more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of" this disclosure:

Fig. l isa perspective view showing a handbag and clasp according to the present'invention, both flaps being closed and locked.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view in which theupper flap has been unlocked and raised to provide access to a back compartment.

Fig. 3 is aperspective VieW in which both flaps have beenunlocked and raised to provide access to a front compartment;

2,817,378 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary front, elevational view of the handbag showing the clasp in locking position. 4 Fig. 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged. scale taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 4, the upper, loop being shown in open position and chain-dotted lines, the lower loop being shown in open position indash-dotted lines. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the clasp per se.

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of a, modified construction, both flaps being closed and locked.

Fig. 8 is a sectional. view substantially on line 8.-8 of Fig. 7, the flaps being shown in full lines in closed and locked position, the dotted lines showing the upper loop unlocked and the upper flap partially raised to provide access to the back compartment.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the same cutting plane as Fig. 8, in which the upper loop remains in locked position and the lower loop has been unlocked, to raise both flaps conjointly for the purpose of providing access to the front compartment of the handbag.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in the form of the invention shown in Figs. l-6, there is illustrated a handbag generally designated by the refernce numeral 10. The handbag can be of any ornamental shape, and of any suitable materials. Since the construction of handbags in desired ornamental shapes is well within 1 the skill of those working in the art, the details of construction of the handbag proper need not beset forth herein. It is sufiicient to note that the handbag includes an upwardly opening receptacle 12 formed of leather, plastic, or any other suitable material known in, the art, said receptacle or container being divided into front and back compartments 14, 16, respectively closed by a front or lower flap 18 and a back or top flap 20. The front flap 18 is hinged, and the back flap 20 is similarly hinged,to the rear walls of the front and back compartments. 14, 16, respectively. When the flaps are in closed position, as shown in Fig. 1, the lower or front flap 18 at its free end projects downwardly below the corresponding end of the upper flap 20, with the flaps being disposedin superposed relation.

The handbag, as is usual, is equipped with a carrying strap 22 which may be of any design and does not per se constitute part of the present invention.

The double clasp, as shown in Fig. 6, includes a hinge sleeve 24 of half-round cross section, theopposite side walls of which are formed with outwardly projecting, pointed, integral teeth 26. The teeth 26 are forced through the material of the exposed free end portion of the front flap 18, and are clinched against the back surface of the front flap as shown in Fig. 5, thus. to fixedly secure the sleeve 24 to the part of the front flap 18. that is exposed below the free end of the back flap 20, in position extendingtransversely of the front flap.

The sleeve 24 is integrally formed not only with the mounting or clinching prongs 26, but also with endwalls 28, which are defined by tabs formed on the blank out of which the sleeve is formed, said tabs being bent rearwardly between the side walls of the sleeve as will be readily apparent from Fig. 6, to provide the end walls of the sleeve. Said end walls 28 are formed with openings 30aligned axially of the hinge sleeve.

:legs at their outer ends being formed with eye members 2:6 spaced apart a distance such as to cause saideye and 4, with the flaps in closed position. it is desired to obtain access to the back compartment members to engage against the ends of sleeve 24, as shown in Fig. 4.

The second loop 38 includes an eye portion 39 elongatedcorrespondingly to the eye portion of the first loop. The second loop, at the inner end of its elongated eye portion, is integral with divergent legs 40 formed at their free ends with inwardly projecting, coaxial extensions 42. In assembling the hinge sleeve with the respective loops,

the first loop is disposed with its eye members 36 in engagement with the end walls 28, after which the second loop is spread sufficiently to permit the extension 42 to be inserted through the eye member 36, into the apertures 30 of end walls 28. The second loop is then closed In this way, the

apertures 30, while the first loop is in turn hingedly mounted upon the second loop by rotary motion of the eye members 36 upon the extensions 42. The two loops are thus mounted upon a hinge sleeve common to both of them, for pivotal movement independently of one another about a common axis extending transversely of "the respective flaps 18, 20, said axis being disposed on the portion of the flap 18 that is exposed below the flap I 20 when the flaps are in a closed position such as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

Secured to the free end portion of flap 20 is a turnable locking detent comprising a plate 44 having prongs clinched in the material of the flap 20, and a generally circular detent member 46 mounted upon the support 'plate 44 for rotation about an axis normal to the plane of the eye portion of loop 32. The detent member 46 is of a diameter such as to be greater than the trans- 'verse inner dimension of the eye portion of loop 32. Thus it will be seen that when the detent member 46 is rotated from the dotted line position thereof shown in Fig. 4, through ninety degrees to its full line position in the same figure of the drawing, it will engage at its sides the eye portion of loop 32. Loop 32 is thus lockably engaged with the flap 20.

A corresponding detent is mounted upon the front wall of the container 12, below the free end of the front flap 18, and is similarly adapted to lockably engage the eye portion of the loop 38 as shown by full lines in Fig. 4.

Normally, both loops will be lockably engaged with their associated flaps in the manner shown in Figs. 1 If, however,

16, one turns the detent member 46 carried by the upper flap to its unlocking position, thus permitting the upper loop 32 to be swung outwardly from the upper flap to the chain-dotted position shown in Fig. 5. This frees the upper flap for upward swinging movement to its 'Fig. 2 position, providing access to the back compartment 16. However, the front compartment 14 remains fully closed, due to the fact that the loop 38 is still lockably engaged by its associated detent member.

If, now, it is desired to obtain access to the front compartment, one need merely unlock the detent member '46 carried by the container 12 to release the loop 38,

after which the front flap 18 may be swung upwardly as shown in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 7-9 there is shown a modified construction,

I wherein the handbag has been generally designated 10 and includes a container 12 having front and back compartments 14 16 Normally closing the front and back compartments are front and back flaps 18 20 disposed in superposed relation when in closed position as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, with the lower portion of the flap 18 exposed below the corresponding portion of the flap 20 It will be seen that this construction is identical to that of the first form, and it will be understood that again,

" the handbag can be of any desired ornamental shape,

so long as it retains the basic structural characteristics which have been particularized herein.

As in the first form of the invention, the modified construction includes a hinge sleeve 24, and detents 46 connected to the upper flap 18* and to the container 12, respectively, above and below the hinge sleeve.

*In this form of the invention, the first loop 32 is of substantially greater length than the second loop 38 The first loop 32 includes an elongated eye portion 33 having parallel side walls. The side walls of the eye portion 33 remain in parallelism for the full length of the eye portion, with the eye portion being formed open at its inner end. The sides of the eye portion merge at the inner end thereof into widely, spaced legs 34, having eye members 36 bearing against the ends of the hinge sleeve 24.

The loop 38 includes an eye portion 39 shorter in length than the eye portion 33 Eye portion 39 also -has parallel sides, and is also formed open at its inner end. The sides of the eye portion 39 merge into widely spaced legs 40* formed with inwardly projecting, coaxial extensions 42 which engage loosely in the eye members 36* and in the openings of the end walls of the hinge sleeve, as in the first form of the invention. The loops are thus pivoted about an axis located correspondingly to that of the first form, for swinging movement independently of one another about said axis between locking and unlocking positions respectively.

Due to the construction illustrated and described, when the detent carried by the flap 20 is lockably engaged with the elongated eye portion 33 said eye portion 33 is adapted to slide in the direction of its length against the underside of the detent member, while said detent member remains in locked position.

The modified construction, shown in Figs. 8 and 9, permits access to the back compartment without opening the front compartment, permits access to both compartments, or permits access to the front compartment 14* without opening the back compartment 16*. In the latter respect the modified construction is different from that of Fig. 1, since in Fig. 1 access to the front compartment is had by unlocking both loops, so that the top flap will not be deformed unduly when the front flap is raised to obtain access to the front compartment 14.

-It will be seen that if access to the back compartment 16 is desired, the upper detent is operated to unlocking position, so that the back flap 20 can be swung upwardly to the dotted line position of Fig. 8, with the flap 18 remaining in its closed and locked position.

If it is desired to obtain access to both compartments, both loops are unlocked, so that both flaps are swung upwardly, free of connections to each other.

If it is desired to obtain access to the front compartment 14 while leaving the back compartment 16 closed, the operation is carried out as shown in Fig. 9. One need only turn the lower detent 46 to unlocking position. Then, by raising the flap 18 which has now been unlocked by swinging of its loop 38 outwardly from the lower detent, the fiaps are both swung upwardly conjointly. However, the upper fiap 20 though remaining lockably engaged by the loop 32 and the upper detent 46, may slide upon the upper surface of the flap 18 due to the elongation of the eye portion 33 which permits said eye portion 33 to slide under its detent member 46. The detent member 46 that is carried by the flap 20 thus moves quite close to the hinge sleeve 24 in these circumstances.

The desirability of the modified construction resides in the fact that one need not operate two detents to unlocking position, whenever access to the front compartment only is desired. Further, the back compartment is not required to be open.

In both forms of the invention, the clasp constitutes a unitary assembly. This can be preassembled and can then be assembled with the handbag, merely by clinching the hinge sleeveto the flap 18' or 18 as thercase'maybe, and by attaching the detents to the: flap 20 or. 20* and the container 12 or 12 An attractive handbag-results, as. will be readily noted from Figs. 1 and 7. At the same time the handbag, due to the particular arrangement of-the fiaps and due to the particular formation of the double clasp and its coactive relationship to the flaps, provides for selective access to different compartments of the handbag withoutnecessitating opening of a compartment to which access isnot desired at the moment.

It may be noted that in the first form of the invention, the back compartment may still be kept. closed even though access is desired only to the-front compartmenhif the top flap 20 is of a material sufiiciently flexible as to bend transversely without deteriorating effect on the same whenever the bottom flap 18 is raised while the top flap remains locked by its associated loop 32.

While I.have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, .it istto be understood thatiI do not limit myself to the precise constructionsherein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s:

1. In a handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartments respectively, and means on the flaps and container adapted for locking and unlocking .each flap independently of the other, said flaps being disposed in superposed relation when in compartment-closing position, the front flap having a free end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion of the back flap in the superposed relation of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops carried by and: extending in opposite directions from the sleeve, and a pair of detents releasably engageable with the loops, one of the detents being mounted upon the backflap and the other detent being mounted upon the container.

2. In a handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartments respectively, and means on the flaps and container adapted for locking and unlocking eachfiap independently of the other, said flaps being disposed in superposed relation when in compartment-closing position, the front flap having a free end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion of the back flap in the superposed relation of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops carried by and extending in opposite directions from the sleeve, and a pair of detents releasably engageable with the loops, one of the detents being mounted upon the back flap and the other detent being mounted upon the container, said loops being hingedly connected to the sleeve to swing independently of one another about a common axis between their flap-locking and flap-unlocking positions.

3. In a handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartments respectively, and means on the flaps and con tainer adapted for locking and unlocking each flap independently of the other, said flaps being disposed in superposed relation when in compartment-closing position, the front flap having a free end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion of the back flap in the superposed relation of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops carried by and extending in opposite directions from the sleeve, and a pair of detents releasably engageable with the loops, one of the detents being mounted upon .the' back flap and the other detent being mounted upon the, container, said loops being hingedly connected to the; sleeve to. swing independently. of one another about a :common axisbetween their flap-locking and flap-unlocking positions, said. axis. extending transversely of therespective flaps.

4. Ina handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartmentsrespectively, and means on the flaps and container adapted for locking and unlocking each flap independently of the.other,.said flapsbeing disposed in superposed: relation when.intcompartment-closing position, the frontflap having a free. end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion. of the back flap in the superposed relation of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops. carried. by and extending in opposite directions fromv the. sleeve, and. a pair of detents releasably. engageable' withthe.1oops,-one of the detents being mounted upon the back flap and the. other detent being mounted upon me container, said loops being hingedly connected to. the sleeve to swing independently of one another about a common axis between their flap-locking and flap-unlocking positions, said axis extending transversely of the, respective flaps, each loop including an eye portion interengag ing with the associated detent in the locking positions of the loops.

5. In a handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartments respectively, and means on the flaps. and container adapted for locking and unlocking each flap independently of the other, said flaps being disposed in superposed relationwhen in compartment-closing position, the front flap having ,a free end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion of the back flap in the superposed rela tion of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops carried by and extending in opposite directions from the sleeve, and a pair of detents releasably engageable with the loops, one of the detents being mounted upon the back flap and the other detent being mounted upon the container, said loops being hingedly connected to the sleeve to swing independently of one another about a common axis between their flap-locking and flap-unlocking positions, said axis extending transversely of the respective flaps, each loop including an eye portion interengaging with the associated detent in the locking positions of the loops, said detents being turnably mounted upon the back flap and the container respectively, for rotation between positions engaging and disengaging the eye portions.

6. In a handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartments respectively, and means on the flaps and container adapted for locking and unlocking each flap independently of the other, said flaps being disposed in superposed relation when in compartment-closing position, the front flap having a free end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion of the back flap in the superposed relation of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops carried by and extending in opposite directions from the sleeve, and a pair of detents releasably engageable with the loops, one of the detents being mounted upon the back flap and the other detent being mounted upon the container, said loops including legs embracing and pivotally connected to the sleeve to provide for the pivotal mounting of the respective loops.

7. In a handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartments respectively, and means on the flaps and corn 'tainer adapted for locking and unlocking each flap independently of the other, said flaps being disposed in superposed relation when in compartment-closing position, the

front flap having a free end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion of the back flap in the superposed relation of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops carried by and extending in opposite directions from the sleeve, and a pair of detents releasably engageable with the loops, one of the detents being mounted upon the back flap and the other detent being mounted upon the container, said loops including legs embracing and pivotally connected to the sleeve to provide for the pivotal mounting of the respective loops, the legs of one of the loops being formed with eye members, the legs of the other loop having inwardly projecting extensions rotatably engaged in the ends of the sleeve and positioned through the eye members, the extension-provided legs being freely rotatable within the sleeve and the eye-member-provided legs being freely rotatable on said extensions for swinging of the loops independently of each other.

8. In a handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartments respectively, and means on the flaps and container adapted for locking and unlocking each flap independently of the other, said flaps being disposed in superposed relation when in compartment-closing position, the'front flap having a free end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion of the back flap in the superposed relation of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops carried by and extending in opposite directions from the sleeve, and a pair of detents releasably engageable with the loops, one of the detents being :mounted upon the back flap and the other detent being the loops having a sliding connection to its associated detent in the locking position of the detent, whereby to permit relative slidable movement of the back and front flaps on raising of the; flap to an open positionwith one loop only disengaged from its associated detent.

9. In a handbag, the combination of a container partitioned into front and back compartments, front and back flaps on the container closing the front and back compartments respectively, and means on the flaps and container adapted for locking and unlocking each flap independently of the other, said flapsbeing disposed in superposed relation when in compartment-closing position, the front flap having a free end portion projecting beyond the corresponding portion of the back flap in the superposed relation of the flaps, said means including a hinge sleeve mounted on the projecting free end portion of the front flap, locking loops carried by and extending in opposite directions from the sleeve, and a pair of detents releasably engageable with the loops, one of the detents being mounted upon the back flap and the other detent being mounted upon the container, said loops being hingedly connected to the sleeve to swing independently of one another about a common axis between their flaplocking and flap-unlocking positions, said axis extending transversely of the respective flaps, each loop including an eye portion interengaging with the associated detent in the locking positions of the loops, said detents being turnably mounted upon the back flap and the container respectively, for rotation between positions engaging and disengaging the eye portions, the eye portion of one of the loops having a'sliding connection to its associated detent in the locking position of the detent, whereby to permit relative slidable movement of the back and front flaps on raising of the flap to an open position with one loop only disengaged from its associated detent, said sliding eye portion being of elongated formation with parallel sides underlying its associated detent when said associated detent is in locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 511,933 Cottier- Ian. 2, 1894 696,685 ,Levergood Apr. 1, 1902 1,504,966 Kulick Dec. 8, 1925 1,692,205 Goldsmith Nov. 20, 1928 1,760,681 Barol May 27, 1930 

